One might misread the title above as, “How to become animalistic,” but that’s not the intention of this article! Although, being a male of the human species, I am told quite often by my wife that I act like an animal. Now I take it as a compliment.

Becoming an animal mystic is a rewarding, lifelong journey, especially when one gets bored with human interaction.

Animals have a wealth of experience to share with us if we know how to perceive them.

One of the most important things is Being Aware. Animals are in a constant state of Awareness because they are being themselves all the time. By simply observing animals in their interactions with their environment, you become aware of how unaware we are.

For instance, when one person greets another, the two establish eye contact. In doing that, both become unaware of everything happening beyond the eye-to-eye gaze.

My dog does not look me in the eye. The horses and elephant I work with do not read

my gaze. Instead, they are experiencing my breathing, my scent, my posture, and myriad other movements and qualities that represent the essence of Being.

One of the key elements in animal perception is intention. Animals in general are hardwired to read Intention because it’s critical to their survival. Think of horses galloping together in a herd. Each horse must be aware of the intentions of the horses on either side of it and in front and behind in order to safely move with the herd.

The first step in connecting with the animal mystic in you is to make sure that you align your intention with your being and action. Otherwise you come off as insincere and suspicious to most animal beings.

I have searched deeply to determine a universal intention that aligns with my purpose.

As an animal chiropractor, my aligning intention is flow. Observing life in many forms has made me aware that everything in life flows and thus has its own rhythm. Muscles have their own rhythmic flow; breathing has its own discernable flow. I dare you to find one thing in life that does not flow into another Being.

The moment you become aware of that connection, you have opened the door to a growing awareness.

Bearing witness to flow of life is mind expansive. I came upon this awareness by observing the flow of horses in the herd.

The beginnings of animal mysticism date back to the first century BCE. A healer by the name of Aurelius Celsus noted four observations that determined an animal’s health status: rubor (redness), calor (heat), dolor (pain), and tumor (abnormal growth). Through observation I have added fluor (secretion) and tremor (change in vibration).

These are all astute physical observations made without microscopes, CAT scans, ultrasounds and other marvels of technology. All that’s required is the acute awareness of the observer.

When I encounter a Being as an animal mystic, I am open to perceiving these six states.

These are altered states of flow and observers can perceive them only if they have the realization of flow as their intention.

To accomplish this I allow my experience of sitting under a waterfall to play as a background program in my mind. This sets the stage for perceiving flow and also attunes the patient to what the observer is looking for.

Think of the concealed programs that your computer runs in the background, allowing it to function with integrity. Integrity in this sense is nothing more than an alignment between intention and action, so that there is no contradiction between the observer and the observed..

In order to be able to perceive flow pristinely, the observer must be aware of his or her own flow. To accomplish this, the observer must let his or her own energy flow with that which is being observed.

Play the background program and from time to time be aware of your own breathing until you start to meld with your whole being into that which you are observing.

About Dr. Rod Block

Dr. Rod Block (www.drrodblock.com), author of “Like Chiropractic for Elephants,” serves as a chiropractic consultant to numerous veterinary practices in Southern California and is an international lecturer on animal chiropractic. His Animal Mystic workshops are intended to expand mind-body awareness and improve self-perspective. Dr. Block is board-certified in animal chiropractic by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association; is a member of the International Association of Elephant Managers; and serves as an equine chiropractic consultant to Cal Poly Pomona. He is the equine chiropractor for the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mounted Police Unit, a lecturer at Western State University College of Veterinary Medicine and a lecturer at University of California Irvine (Pre-Veterinary Program). He completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA and later received his Doctorate in Chiropractic